Tessa was still loyal to the family and never mentioned the changes to her health visitor (just as she had never told her about sharing the Marstone’s bed). Instead she confided in Karen, an older mem who lived next door and was always willing to offer a shoulder to cry on. After Tessa had recounted one particularly demeaning sex act Giles had made her perform, Karen left the room returning with a dog eared paperback which she pressed into Tessa’s hand telling her to keep it hidden.

‘The New Misogyny’ had been published by a civil liberties organisation calling mems a new slave class and calling for an end to the screening programme. After a brief furore it had dipped out of the public consciousness until it reappeared in a new edition. Tessa enjoyed reading but like most mems her reading age was around twelve years, a whole publishing industry had sprung up to provide stories of good motherhood in simple, almost childish English. In its original edition ‘The New Misogyny’ would have been incomprehensible to mems which is why another more radical group had it ‘translated’ it into simpler language.

In its pages Tessa learned that she did not have to do everything the Marstone’s demanded to be a good mother (not memmy) to Ben, that the Marstone’s were wrong to expect blind obedience to their every whim. The change in her behaviour took them by surprise and for a while they were more circumspect with Tessa. Frustration took its toll however and Tessa found herself subject to more punishments, her clothes were all taken away, she was forbidden to leave the house or have visitors and was banished to her increasingly bare room while the Marstone’s were home. She could have told her health visitor about this but feared that she would be taken from her baby if she did.

Eventually the decision was taken away from her when Giles found her copy of ‘The New Misogyny’ hidden under the mattress. The book was not officially banned, but the translated edition was deemed in breach of copyright (even though the original authors had waived it) and all copies were confiscated as contraband. It was just the excuse Giles needed to replace Tessa with a more subservient mem, one who would be taught her place from the start.

A few days later the health visitor arrived with two police officers to remove Tessa. Giles had to grip his son’s shoulders hard to prevent him running after his mummy, and Ben cried bitterly for them to stop. Tessa’s eyes were streaming too though she offered no resistance. She knew now that this was the potential fate of all mems, to live like slaves or be taken from their children. Her tears were not for herself, she cried for the little boy who loved to touch his memmy’s clothes, to wear her make up and who would inevitably share her fate.